We are thrilled with today’s news – Ken Loach has signed our petition, and here are his Comments, which are so perfect:

‘People need homes – but they also need green spaces. There is no conflict between a properly planned housing programme‎ and the preservation of historic open land. I strongly support saving Manning’s Pit for future generations to enjoy.’

Pilton Cinema has been strongly supportive of our campaign, and we know the organisers will be especially pleased with today’s news, as they love to show Ken’s films, for example. The Angels Share,and, recently, I, Daniel Blake. Sometimes they show old films, so perhaps today’s news gives us an extra reason to ask for a showing of Kes.

This article in the Macclesfield Express includes the wonderful story of Hugh Robert Hibbert’s bravery in the Crimean war (the research for the article was done by historian, Dorothy Bentley-Smith). The beautiful sword that was presented to Major Hibbert was loaned to the Museum in Macclesfield by Mark Hibbert-Hingston, his great great grandson.

Hugh Hibbert later became a Colonel. He married F R Lee’s daughter Sarah, and came to live in Broadgate House, close to Manning’s Pit. You can read more about him and his family on our website. He was also famous for becoming Mayor of Barnstaple. He must surely have been an inspiring figure in the life of young Hector Hugh Munro (Saki) who lived across the road from Broadgate House.

We started our campaign to Save Manning’s Pit in October 2015. Now here we are in January 2018, and the application still has not come before the Planning Committee. We don’t know when this will happen, but in may be soon, perhaps in February.

Meanwhile, our support continues growing. People far and wide are asking, where is Manning’s Pit? This December, we have had messages of support from Iceland and the USA (Cape Cod and Acton, Mass. Here are the newest ones, from Cape Cod, and Acton – where they have the snow we were hoping we would have in Manning’s Pit.

So many people love Manning’s Pit. It is such a special place, and although it’s close to Christmas, and money is tight for so many of us, as soon as we announced the need to raise more funds, the money has been coming in in heart warming amounts.

North Devon is not a wealthy place, and so many young people in Pilton and Barnstaple find that a deposit on an affordable house is way beyond their means. They understand the need for housing – but they still support the campaign to Save Manning’s Pit because they know that while people need houses to live in, they also need places like Manning’s Pit to be kept safe, not just for themselves but for their children and grandchildren in the future.

We are already over half way towards the target we need to reach, and we want to thank everyone of you who have so far given towards it.

To put you all in a seasonal mood, here is another Save Manning’s Pit Message. We had one from Africa in the summer, here’s one from the land of ice and fire, Iceland.

Donations needed to raise funds for a response to the speculator’s latest submissions!

We know how generous you have all been so far, answering every call for help when it has been needed.

Now it is needed again, urgently. This time we are not baking cakes, or putting on skittles, or doing our usual fund raising events – but simply asking you to give whatever you can to help Save Manning’s Pit.

We need to raise between £700 and £800, quickly, as we are commissioning our consultants to scrutinise the new submissions.